Chapter 2

Three days had passed since the fire pit incident, and I'd managed to avoid most of the pack by staying close to the Omega quarters. But avoiding them forever wasn't possible—not when I still had to hunt for my own food.

The forest was darker tonight, clouds blocking most of the moonlight as I made my way through the familiar paths. I'd caught a small rabbit earlier and was heading back when I heard the footsteps behind me.

Multiple sets. Deliberate. Following.

My stomach dropped as I recognized the scents carried on the wind. Rhys. Garrett. And at least three others.

"Well, well," Rhys's voice echoed through the trees as they emerged from the shadows, surrounding me in a loose circle. "Look what we found skulking around in the dark."

I clutched the rabbit tighter against my chest, my only source of food for tomorrow. "I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just—"

"Just what? Existing?" Garrett stepped closer, his eyes glowing amber in the dim light. "That's wrong enough."

They were bolder here, away from the pack's main territory. Away from witnesses. Away from any chance of Marcus appearing to stop them.

"You know what really pisses me off?" Rhys continued, circling me like a predator. "The way you looked at Alpha Marcus the other night. Like you actually thought he gave a damn about you."

The memory of Marcus's cold dismissal sent a fresh wave of pain through my chest. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't lie to us, freak." Rhys's fist connected with my stomach before I could react, doubling me over. The rabbit fell from my hands as I gasped for air. "We all saw that pathetic, grateful look on your face. Did you really think he saved you because he cared?"

Another blow, this one to my ribs. I stumbled backward, tasting blood.

"He told you to stay away from him," Garrett added, grabbing my hair and yanking my head back. "But here you are, still breathing his air, still contaminating his territory."

"Please," I wheezed, trying to protect my face as more fists flew. "I'll leave. I'll go to the outer boundaries—"

"You'll go nowhere," Rhys snarled, his boot connecting with my knee. I collapsed, pain shooting up my leg. "Because freaks like you don't deserve to exist anywhere."

They took turns then, their kicks and punches landing with brutal precision. I curled into a ball, trying to protect my vital organs, but there were too many of them. Blood filled my mouth, and I could feel my lip splitting under someone's knuckles.

"This is what happens when you forget your place," one of them hissed. "Alpha Marcus doesn't want you. Nobody wants you. You're nothing but a mistake that should have been drowned at birth."

The words hurt worse than the physical blows. Because deep down, I knew they were right. Marcus had made that clear enough.

Just as I thought I might pass out from the pain, a sound cut through the night that made every wolf freeze.

A growl. Low, rumbling, and absolutely terrifying.

The temperature around us seemed to plummet as a massive shadow emerged from between the trees. But this wasn't entirely human anymore—Marcus's eyes blazed with an otherworldly light, his canines had elongated, and his fingernails had extended into razor-sharp claws. His wolf was partially shifted, barely contained beneath his human skin.

"Get. Away. From. Him." Each word was a barely controlled snarl.

Rhys stumbled backward, his earlier bravado evaporating instantly. "Alpha Marcus, we were just—"

"RUN."

The command hit them like a physical force. Marcus's Alpha power rolled over the clearing in waves, so intense that even I felt the urge to submit despite not being the target. Rhys and his gang didn't hesitate—they scattered into the forest like leaves in a hurricane, their terrified whimpers echoing through the trees.

Silence fell over the clearing, broken only by my ragged breathing and the sound of Marcus's footsteps approaching. I struggled to sit up, wiping blood from my mouth with the back of my hand.

For a moment, his expression was unguarded. I saw something raw and desperate in his eyes—fury, yes, but something else too. Something that made my battered heart skip a beat.

Protectiveness. Possessiveness. Maybe even...

"Marcus," I whispered through swollen lips, my voice barely audible. "Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't—"

But even as I spoke, I watched his expression shift. The vulnerability disappeared behind familiar walls of ice, and his jaw clenched with what looked like self-disgust.

He turned away from me, his broad shoulders rigid. "You're too weak."

The words were delivered with casual cruelty, but I caught the slight tremor in his voice. The way his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"If you can't defend yourself against a few young wolves, how do you expect to survive in this world?" He still wouldn't look at me. "Pathetic."

Each word was a dagger to my chest, but this time, something was different. This time, I saw through the facade—just for an instant. I saw the way his shoulders shook slightly. The way he seemed to be fighting some internal battle.

He was lying. To me, and to himself.

"Marcus, wait—" I tried to stand, my injured leg nearly giving out beneath me.

But he was already walking away, disappearing into the darkness as if he'd never been there at all. Leaving me alone with my blood and my confusion and the growing certainty that nothing about Marcus was as simple as it seemed.

I retrieved my fallen rabbit, now covered in dirt and leaves, and limped toward home. My body ached with every step, but my mind was racing.

He'd come for me. Again. And this time, there had been no pack gathering to maintain order for. No witnesses to impress. Just him, and me, and a protective rage that had nearly let his wolf break free.

Why would he do that if I truly meant nothing to him?

As I finally reached the Omega quarters, a commotion near the main lodge caught my attention. Wolves were gathering, their voices urgent and afraid. I could make out fragments of conversation carried on the night wind.

"...human hunters..."

"...crossed the border..."

"...emergency meeting..."

My blood ran cold. Hunters. Here, in our territory.

Despite my injuries, despite Marcus's harsh words still echoing in my ears, I found myself drawn toward the lodge. Whatever was happening, it affected all of us—even the unwanted half-wolf hiding in the shadows.

The pack was in danger. And somehow, I knew this was only the beginning.